


Saddle Up the Wind

by oriolegirl



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Community: picfor1000, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-01-13
Updated: 2007-01-13
Packaged: 2017-10-17 11:07:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/176226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oriolegirl/pseuds/oriolegirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John was eight the first time someone told him the myth of Pegasus.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Saddle Up the Wind

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [](http://www.livejournal.com/users/picfor1000/profile)[**picfor1000**](http://www.livejournal.com/users/picfor1000/). Many thanks to [](http://www.livejournal.com/users/silver_cyanne/profile)[**silver_cyanne**](http://www.livejournal.com/users/silver_cyanne/) for the beta and for the title which is from the John Denver song, ["Pegasus"](http://www.john-denver.org/Default.asp?id=134).

  
John was eight the first time someone told him the myth of Pegasus. A winged horse who carried Zeus and his thunderbolts through the air. Until then horses were something that John associated with the Wild West. Cowboys and Indians and the Pony Express, riding like the wind across vast empty spaces, the pounding of the horses' hooves against the earth raising clouds of dust. But a horse that could fly? That was so cool.

~*~

His parents started teaching Rodney the constellations when he was six. In the summer, he'd lie in the backyard staring up at the night sky, feeling every bump in the ground, the grass tickling his skin through the blanket his mother put down. Rodney wondered what it was like out there, far away from where he was. He found the stars incredibly fascinating and he quickly learned to pick out the constellations. But he always had trouble finding Pegasus. It was a stupid name for a constellation anyway.

~*~

The night sky in Antarctica was so crisp and clear that the stars shone brighter than he'd ever seen them. The stuffiness inside often led John to escape outside. He'd stand there, staring up at the sky for as long as he could stand the cold. John had never learned the constellations. Astronomy wasn't exactly a prerequisite for flying planes and helicopters.

~*~

Rodney watched, stunned, as the Air Force officer brought up a map of the solar system like it was nothing. It was, he thought, horrifically unfair. But if it would help them find Atlantis, he was willing to put aside his petty jealousy. Or he was until, when told they were going to the Pegasus galaxy, the Major said, "You mean like the horse?" Rodney silently fumed. It was patently unfair that such a moron had the strongest ATA gene they'd found.

~*~

John was well acquainted with the taste of dirt. He had tasted it, in one way or another, on each of Earth's seven continents. The first time he was on an alien planet -- an alien planet in a whole 'nother galaxy -- he tripped and fell while running through the forest. Spitting the dirt out of his mouth, he hauled himself up and continued running towards the fight. But it was strangely reassuring to know that dirt in the Pegasus galaxy tasted just like dirt in the Milky Way.

~*~

Rodney stood on the east pier, staring up at the stars in the sky. He didn't recognize any of the constellations, of course. After all, he was on another planet in another galaxy. Rodney wondered if the Ancients had given them names. They'd probably been so focused on Ascension, on leaving their earthly bodies behind, that they hadn't bothered. Rodney snorted softly to himself. Typical. He'd set up a search in the Ancient database anyway because you never knew with them.

~*~

John felt the Mountain pressing down on him; he really needed to get out. It was late so he headed for the labs because some things don't change, no matter what galaxy you're in. In the second lab he tried, he found Rodney sitting at a table, frowning and muttering to himself as he stared at his laptop. "Hey, McKay."

Rodney didn't look up. "Go away. Busy here."

John leaned against the doorway, his arms crossed, waiting.

Rodney sighed and looked up. "Major."

"Come with me."

"I'm busy."

"Rodney."

Rodney opened his mouth, undoubtedly to ask why and where and to complain in general, but he must have seen something on John's face because he didn't say anything. Rodney just nodded and shut down his laptop.

They walked to the elevator and rode up to the surface in silence. Once outside, John said, "Show me where Pegasus is."

"You can't really see it with the naked eye from here, Sheppard, we're too far away." John clearly heard the 'Duh' and it made him smile. "You need a telescope and even then it won't be very clear."

"I meant the constellation, McKay." John was going to miss this, this bantering with McKay, if they didn't let him go back to Atlantis. Given his actions before the siege, he wasn't sure that they would. But he'd always be able to look up at Pegasus and remember.

Rodney stared at him, clearly asking 'why would you want to know that?'. Then his eyes widened. "Oh. It's." He turned to peer up at the sky. "Ok, you see Orion's belt?"

~*~

They had a whole weekend off. No radios, no contact with Atlantis -- unless some idiot tried to blow up the city. After dinner on Friday, they loaded up a jumper and headed to the mainland. The Marines had set up a small campground to be used as a base of operations for overnight training exercises.

It was summer, warm enough that they didn't need a tent. Rodney pulled out their sleeping bags, zipping them together, and lay down. He was idly staring up at the stars when John finally joined him, curling against his side.

Rodney felt John relaxing, little by little, and stayed quiet. But Rodney never could stay quiet for long. "You know, the Ancients never named the constellations."

John's reply was an 'hmmm' that Rodney knew was filled with curiosity.

"I ran a search in the database and there's nothing there."

"This is the Ancients we're talking about." John shifted slightly. "What about the Athosians?"

"I asked Teyla. And Ronon. Both of their peoples had names for the stars in their skies."

"Were there stories associated with them?"

"Of course." Although Rodney left the 'what do you expect from primitive cultures?' unsaid, he could feel John smirking.

They lay together quietly for a little while. "In one version of the myth, Pegasus loses a feather when he leaps into the stars."

John tightened his hold. "Pegasus isn't going to fall, Rodney. We won't let it."

Rodney whispered, "I know." He'd finally found what he was looking for and he wasn't going to let it go.

  
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